Endless Whispers
by Usami
Summary: /Antauri POV/ No matter how brightly the sun shone through the day, the moon would always remain in the sky. It simply ends up overlooked because it cannot shine until the sun's time has passed.


I know I should be updating "Rattle the Chains" if I'm going to be doing anything with stories today...but I'm gonna hold off on that for right now (at least until I finish another chapter for it...)

So instead of updating that story, I decided to post up this new story. I'm not really sure where I got the inspiration or idea for this one, but it had orginally just started out as one thing...which then led to another...and another...Then I finally finished it all. And I'm happy with it.

So here it is. I do not own the show or its characters. I just like writing stuff out for it.

**Endless Whispers**

As I stood atop the Super Robot and gazed on the city, I watched the sun appear just above the horizon and begin to cast its light over the lingering shadows from the previous night. Looking down at the street below, I watched the first signs of life begin to stir the city awake as early risers commenced their morning rituals and set the plans for the day that lay ahead. In a few hours, the rest of Shuggazoom will follow them and rouse from their slumber to engage in their busy lives, filling the city with the familiar activity that we have not seen in quite a while. And as I looked up at the sky, I smiled as I imagined the wondrous day that would come.

But as I watched the clouds lazily pass overhead, I saw the remnants of the moon as it began to fade against the daylight.

No matter how brightly the sun shone through the day, the moon would always remain in the sky. It simply ends up overlooked because it cannot shine until the sun's time has passed.

With a sigh, I placed my hand to my chest. To neglect something that otherwise should be so obvious…is something that I am all too familiar with. Something that we have all become accustomed to doing.

But no matter how much we wish to ignore it, no matter how we try to deny it, no matter how much we dislike it, the truth will always remain. And as I stood, watching the city below, I knew that I would have to face the truth sooner or later, just as all the others would.

Because the individuals that we once knew, the bad as well as the good, never really leave us forever. There will always be something that ties us to them, something that continues to affect us even if they are no longer around. There will always be something of them that remains within us, even if we do not wish to admit it.

I closed my eyes, envisioning the others as they continued to sleep within the protection of the Super Robot. We were all connected to the Power Primate somehow, linked to the others through a bond that was created by the mystical energy that we all share. In some way or another, we all rely on the Power Primate in our lives.

But Mandarin still retains the Power Primate as well, doesn't he? Even if we no longer acknowledge him as our leader, Mandarin still is tied to us through this treasured bond we have between us. As frightening as it could be to admit…Mandarin is still part of us. He will _always _be a part of us.

Is that…necessarily a bad thing though? Even though Mandarin had done many horrible things, even though Mandarin eventually turned into what we had been created to fight against…we would not be where we are right now without him. He taught us many of the skills we know and still use, and it was through him that we truly learned of what we did not wish to become. We all knew of the duty we were given, but I believe our purpose became the most clear to us when we were forced to test ourselves against the one who once led us.

And of course, if Mandarin had not chosen to walk his path, none of us would have ever met Chiro.

I do believe that everything happens for a reason. There are times when that reason is beyond our understanding, and that all we can focus on is what we think or how we feel when the event takes place. And sometimes the reason for an occurrence is not one that we wish to admit. Regardless, everything that takes place in our lives is because that is the way it is supposed to be.

Our very existence relied on something that occurred by predetermined reasons, and it has taken so much time for even me to realize it. The Alchemist knew there was nothing he could do to prevent the evil forces from spreading within. There was nothing he could do to save himself from what he ultimately knew was coming. He knew it all, and understood it. I can only imagine what he must have felt, already knowing what would become of him.

But I questioned the outcome as well. I understood _what _had happened to the Alchemist, but I could never understand _why_. I couldn't grasp at how someone who was so concerned with the wellbeing of the universe, how someone who created us to protect and defend his initial moral beliefs, could ever be corrupted into becoming so wicked. No matter how hard I contemplated over the matter, I could never find the answer I was looking for. I was so concerned with trying to know why it had happened that I never really stopped to consider…that perhaps not even the Alchemist himself had an answer.

Perhaps he knew as well that everything happened for a reason. But that does not mean we can never question what that reason is. Even if destiny has already set our path, it does not mean that we can never question why it has to be. It does not mean that we cannot feel fear for what inevitably is to come. Nor…does it mean that we must simply sit idly and wait for it to happen.

The Alchemist knew. He understood everything that was going to happen to him. He knew that he could not stop what he would become…but he felt that there was possibly something he could do about it. Perhaps he could not save himself…but he could save others from what would happen at his hands. We came to exist…only because the Alchemist knew of the terrible things that he would do. We were created because the Alchemist knew that, in the end, he was becoming exactly what he was supposed to be.

It is a difficult reality to grasp. But it is one that could never be avoided.

Even now – even knowing all of this – I continue to struggle with this truth. Because as troubling as it is to know that our once noble creator became one of our greatest opponents, I knew that if it had never happened, then we would not exist right now. But how could we celebrate our existence knowing of the sacrifice that was involved to ensure it?

That is why…it is essential for us to make certain that his sacrifice was not in vain. When the Alchemist created us, he gave us the purpose of protecting the universe from the evil that would overtake him. But he also created us…to defend his ideals and preserve his original soul. We are his legacy, the last of what the benevolent man left behind and his greatest work. He continues to live within us…With every triumph over the dark forces, we ensure that his beliefs will not be forgotten.

And yet…part of him has already been lost. After all, Mandarin was the first one he had ever created, and his purpose was the same as ours. The Alchemist created him with the same heart that he had when he created us. But our former leader didn't share in that purpose and chose a different life…a life that was against our creator's intentions. We were designed by a man with a wish to stop what he would eventually do, and that wish created a different bond, one outside of the Power Primate, that linked all of us together. Even if we were unaware of it, it always remained deep within us and helped to guide everything we did.

When Mandarin refused to aid us in fulfilling that wish, we had no choice but to do what we did. And even though I understand that his actions were ultimately essential in the course of our lives, and Chiro's life, it doesn't make it any easier. We did what we deemed necessary, but that does not ease the pain of betrayal from someone who is supposed to be one of us – the betrayal…of a brother.

But we did what we had to do, and afterwards I thought I would be able to handle what would come our way. While the news of the Alchemist surprised me, and I continued to question it, I did my best to manage myself through it. I believed that I could work through anything we were dealt.

However…as one of his final lessons, Master Xan taught me that one could never be truly prepared for everything.

My very last visit to the planet Koroladol was not what I had expected at all. I would never have predicted that Master Xan, of all people, to have been working for the Skeleton King the entire time. The one who had taught me the ways of the Power Primate, who had helped me form my views on life. Even if he _had _been working under the influence of the Skeleton King, and even if he had viewed me…as nothing more than a pawn for their plan…I had taken all of his lessons to heart. I remember everything he had taught me and keep it all within me. Even if he had never meant to, Master Xan helped me become who I am today.

And then to learn…of his true nature…was truly devastating.

Even so, I had learned the greatest lesson from Master Xan that day. He had told me that he had foreseen Chiro fall before the Dark Ones. But I had learned then that we have the ability to change certain destinies. Sometimes we have the power to alter what could have been, regardless of how and why it occurred. Not everything is set in stone.

This, and everything else that Master Xan had taught me, will continue to remain in my soul, and I will continue to live as he had shown me. Even after all he had said and done, I would not be the same individual I am now if not for him. Even now, as I look back on everything that had happened, I do not ever regret my time with him.

Perhaps that's all that must really be done. As we look back over the events in our lives, we should try and look at all the different outcomes, the good as well as the bad. No matter how difficult it is to see how we benefited from a painful situation, we do indeed gain something from a loss. It simply takes time to discover the truth.

Even with all I know about the Alchemist, Mandarin, and Master Xan…even knowing of the path they would eventually walk on, I do not regret knowing them or wish for things to have been different. Although they may have done terrible things, their actions were responsible for developing the way we have become. Not only have we grown stronger individually by overcoming the difficulties they presented us and improved our own characters because of them, but also as a team we've become closer through the hardships and created a stronger, deeper relationship.

We've helped and comforted each other over pain and loss, we've learned to rely on each other no matter the situation, and it became more important than ever that we learned to be there for each other when we needed to be…and even if we _didn't_ need to be. Our bond, our friendship grew stronger through the tests it was put through under the toughest circumstances, and I am very grateful for that.

Besides, even if things had not happened as they have, what we experience now would certainly be different. But we could never say for sure if it would be _better._

It is now midday. More of Shuggazoom has arisen from slumber and have set out, and even the rest of the Hyperforce within the Super Robot were beginning to awaken. With one last glance over the city, I turned and headed inside.

The events of the past will always be part of me, and everything I remember will continue to shape and affect who I am and what I become. The people that I know, the people that I knew, and the things that I've seen will all continue to live within my memories. They whisper from the depths of my mind, wanting to be thought of once more. The good will always be treasured, but even the bad should be revered because they do influence my life. Without those past experiences, I would not be where I am today.

And today is going to be a marvelous day indeed.

**The End**

So what did you all think of it? I'm rather happy about it. Anyway, I'll do the best I can to update "Rattle the Chains" soon, so for those of you who read that story, keep a look out for that.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review (and no flames if you can help it).


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